Bird Dog 1 – Reach
The Week 4 CatholicFIT Principle is Sleep, Rest & Recovery. “Recovery exercises” should be mixed into your current or new program and include stretching, mobility exercises and rolling/body work techniques.
Recovery basically means to heal up from a previous activity and prepare for the next day or activity – whether that is a sports practice, riding your bike or doing homework. When it comes to your routine, “mobility” exercises are the best for recovery and preparing your body for more.
People tend to injure themselves when their active, stressful (though well-intended) exercises outnumber their recovery-focused, flexibility exercises. Reset, un-glue and recover your body daily with the following ideas.
4 Step Stretching Sequence – this is stretching sequence you can do any time of the day. It can be done several times as a dynamic warm up before an exercise session, once or twice as a cool down or any break during your day to loosen up. There are four exercises:
- Push Up Plank – excellent for core strength, breathing awareness and improving your push up power
- V Plank – builds shoulder strength, increases shoulder and posterior lower body flexibility
- Press Up – opens up the spine, great to do after a day of sitting as it is the opposite of your sitting posture
- Tuck & Reach – stretches your thighs and lower back
Check out the video for demonstration:
Bird Dog – this is a great one to do for core strength and left-right coordination throughout your body. It requires a combination of strength and flexibility to perform. Make sure your one knee is on a pad or pillow and then try performing 5-10 reach and touches per side. Your goal is to touch your one elbow to your opposite knee with each Tuck & Touch.
Pictures of this week’s exercises:
Tuck & Reach
Push Up Plank
Inverted V Plank
Press Up
Bird Dog 2 – Tuck & Touch
Bird Dog 1 – Reach
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